Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-10-13
TIE woRkMEN.s ERIENp.
Democracy and Its Relations to the Pro-
fiucing Glasses.


ducing Glasses.
No one denies that the Democratic |
party from the first, always. without
deviation, without variableness or
shadow of turning, has been the work |
iag-man's party, and has been pro-
toundly interested in the welfare of |
-working-men. The irterest that the |
Democratic party has taken in the
welfare of working-men has not been
spasmodic, fitful, variable, irregular,
but steady, constant and conscientious.
We challenge the record, every page
luminous with the facts as we state
them. 1t could not, in the nature of
things. be otherwise. The great ma
jority cf the Democratic party has
always been poor men, working-men.
mot millionaires, not aristocrats, not
men who accumulated wealth by mo-
nopeEstic methods, railroad wreckfng,
land grabbing, stock and bond gam
bling, land stealing, etc Such things
have distinguished the Republican
party and in other days, the Wing
partv. andrew Jackson saw the tend
+ency of the times, when he lad his
magiste,ial hand on the United States
Bank and crushed a -stupenderus mo-
mopoly
The Democratic idea is the equitable
distribution of the wealth which labor
creates. The Democratic party adopts
the declaration that all wealth, all rev.
.enyes are derived from labor, and this
being true, labor should be fairly re-
Enumerated. The right Of labor to Or
TO or VyQlfarQ not
only conceded but advocated. Demo
,crats believe that such organizations
are prudential and in consonance with
Democratic policy and good govern
ment.
The question arises, what are the
Prime objects of labor organization? A
general reply would be the welfare of
their members. Bat. to be more spe-
cifc, many of the labor organizations
are benevolent in character-they are
a kind of Life and health insurance as
sociations. They issue and pay death,
disability and sickness policies. In
many of these organizations the most
rigid examinations are practiced-ohly
men of good sound moral character
are Initiated. The demand is that the
members shall be sober and industrious,
that they shall be skilled in their trade
or calling, that they shall appreciate
the weight and worth of their obliga-
ton and shall be in all regards good
citizens.
Manifestly these labor organizations
are profoundly interested in the mat
ter of wages. They demand fair pay
for fair days work. To this the
Democratic party does not object
indeed it is and has been the battle
cry of the Democratic party-nGr is
there anywhere on record a particle
of evidence to the contrary. TIC as
sumo that the Democratic party has
at any fHme, anywhere, been opposed
to fair pay, or fair, honest work, is a
monstroNs libel-known to be such by
all men who are capable of discussing
labor problems.
But it may be asked. who shall de
termine xhat is a fair days work, and
what is "a falr price for fair days
work? These have been the serious
questions, the difficult questions. and
in settling them many serious contro-
versies have arisen-and it is useless
to say they have been outside the do
main of party politics-no political
party ever sought to regulate the price
of labor-and a moments reflection is
sufficient to dismiss the proposition. But
there are instances where working
men have fixed the prices for their
work. they have selected their werk,
chosen the fields of labor, and then
.elected the prices for which they
you'd perform certain services. HAY
ing the kind of work they perform and
receiving the wages which they have
determined as equitable, as also the
time of payment, the question arises.
if the employer accedes to these de-
mands, and meets them promptly. what
occasion is there for complaint The
Democratic party, if it was continually
in session, would be unable to discover
a grievances. 1t would seem that In
such eases entire harmony should pre-
vail between employer and employee.
or to use Il common phrase, between
''capltal and labor" 1t would seem
that working men themselves had de-
termined what was their equitable
share of the wealth they created, and
having determined that most vital of
all questions relating'to labor it would
seem that they had achieved a notable
victory Indianapolis Sentinel.
NOTES AND COMMENTS